32 teams have completed the first round of the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship in Thailand.
Home Thailand beat Egypt 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-15, 25-11) in the opening match of Group A. In this group, the Netherlands narrowly defeated Sweden with a score of 3-2. In the next round, host Thailand will meet Sweden and the Netherlands will meet Egypt.
Group B has witnessed two convincing victories of the Italian and Belgian championship candidates. Belgium beat Cuba 3-0 while Italy beat Slovakia with the same score.
In the next match, Belgium will meet Slovakia, Italy will play Cuba. If Belgium and Italy win, they will secure a ticket to the knockout round of Group B. Currently, Italy is holding the world number one position on the FIVB rankings.
In Group C, the world's second-placed team Brazil beat Greece 3-0 while France beat Puerto Rico 3-1. France and Brazil will meet on August 24. This is the match that determines which team will keep the top spot in the group. In the remaining match, Greece will meet Puerto Rico.
The two strongest teams in Group D, the US and Argentina, both won the opening match. The US team beat Slovenia 3-1. Argentina beat the Czech Republic 3-1. The US and Argentina will meet on August 24.
In Group E, Spain lost 0-3 to Turkey. Meanwhile, Canada won 3-1 against Bulgaria. Spain trained in Dong Anh (Hanoi) before going to Thailand and this team is very focused on the tournament. In the next round, Spain will meet Canada and Turkey will meet Bulgaria.
In Group F, China won 3-1 against Mexico while Dominica beat Colombia 3-0. The Chinese team will meet Colombia in the next match while Mexico will play against Dominica.
Group G witnessed the first two matches between Poland - Vietnam and Germany - Kenya. The Polish team won 3-1 while the German team won 3-0. This is the first time the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has participated in the World Championship and won a prize. In the next match on August 25, Germany will meet Vietnam, Poland will play against Kenya.
In Group H, the two leading candidate teams, Japan and Serbia, both won the opening match. Japan beat Cameroon 3-0 and Serbia beat Ukaine 3-0. Japan will meet Ukraine and Serbia will meet Cameroon in the next round.
